5 Band Reunions We’d Love To See — But Never Will

Some band breakups are more acrimonious than others. While some splits are rife with bitterness and lawsuits, others are just cases of musicians going their separate ways, amicably.

We always wonder what the chances of our favorite groups getting back together are; The Eagles famously said they’d reconvene when hell freezes over; then they reunited. With that in mind, here’s a list of 5 bands we’d love to see get back together – and not just for a one-off show, but a full-blown tour.

1

Led Zeppelin

Since drummer John Bonham’s death in 1980, surviving members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones have played what are widely regarded as disappointing sets at Live Aid in 1985 and the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary Concert in 1988.

Then in 2007, Plant, Page, Jones and Bonham’s son Jason played a critically-acclaimed concert at London’s O2 Arena. Rumors of a tour flared, and possible replacements for a reticent Plant were bandied about. In February of this year, Plant seemed to open the door for the possibility of a tour, telling ‘60 Minutes Australia,’ “I’m not the bad guy,” adding, “I’ve got nothing to do in 2014.”

2

Pink Floyd

When Roger Waters left Pink Floyd in the mid-80s, he sued his ex-mates, attempting to stop them from using the Pink Floyd name. Waters’ attempt failed, and the band continued without him, embarking on massive tours behind 1987’s ‘A Momentary Lapse Of Reason,' and 1994’s ‘The Division Bell’ albums.

In 2005, Waters joined David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason at the Live 8 festival in London to perform as Pink Floyd for the first time in nearly 25 years. Sadly, any subsequent Pink Floyd activity will not feature keyboardist Wright, who died in 2008.

3

Guns N' Roses

This one may be the least likely of all, but a fan can dream. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 22 years since the ‘Use Your Illusion I’ and ‘II’ albums, which was the last time anything even loosely resembling a GNR classic lineup put out an album of original material. Mercurial frontman Axl Rose then set to work on ‘Chinese Democracy,’ an album he started working on in 1998 and did not release until 2008. Besides keyboardist Dizzy Reed, who began playing with GNR in 1990, the album and subsequent tours have not featured any key members from the band’s heyday; that is: no Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler or Matt Sorum.

Considering Rose didn’t even show up for GNR’s 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and reportedly went as far as banning any fans wearing Slash T-shirts from entering GNR shows in the UK, we don’t see this one happening.

4

Smashing Pumpkins

Like Guns N’ Roses, Smashing Pumpkins is essentially a solo project these days, with chief Pumpkin Billy Corgan leading a supporting cast since the original lineup played a farewell show back in 2000.

Drummer Jimmy Chamberlin has worked with Corgan, both in Zwan and the Pumpkins, since the initial breakup. Iha, however, reportedly hasn’t spoken with Corgan in years, and bassist D’Arcy Wretzky seems to have issues of her own, including health problems she spoke to a radio DJ about, a bizarre 2011 incident in which she was jailed for six days for "failing to control her horses," and a more boilerplate drunken-driving arrest that same year.

5

N.W.A.

One of the most notorious and controversial hip-hop acts of all time, N.W.A. launched the careers of Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, with iconic albums like ‘Straight Outta Compton.’ The group dissolved after 1991’s ‘Niggaz4Life.’

If N.W.A. does get back together, it will be without Easy-E, who died of AIDS in 1995.